Soft As Chalk
by inflammatorywrit
Summary: "I almost wish that you had been a walker. You always know what to expect with walkers at least. You never have to be suspicious of their motives, their intentions. They just want to eat you. That bit of certainty in these uncertain times is comforting, don't you think?" Daryl/OC
1. Chapter 1

**_I don't belong to anyone, my heart is heavy as an oil drum;_**

He clenched his eyes closed, aggressively blinking to dispel the illusion that had previously been plaguing him. That hand. For a few moments he wasn't sure if that Merle really was an illusion. His words had been too lifelike; too relevant to the life he had shared with his brother. The idea of Merle making it here was too unbelievable though. No, Daryl Dixon was, for a moment, convinced that the fall had killed him. Convinced that the Merle before him was a part of their brotherly reunion in Hell. Then he noticed that goddamn hand. The hand that belonged in Glenn's backpack. It was only a dream.

That knowledge didn't make the hateful words Merle spat weigh less heavily in his mind however. He had been feeling wary about his position in the group since his brother's disappearance. Like the brainless henchmen in an old gangster flick. He was the one who left camp each day, risking his life, to bring them back a goddamn meal. He was the one out searching now for a little girl who was most likely dead. But did Rick value his opinions? Did Shane consult with him on matters of safety? The guns? Hell, Dale gave him more respect than their self-appointed leaders. So why did he continue to put his neck out for them? Daryl told himself that if he wasn't so wrapped up in the search for Sophia that he would have already left on his own. Renewed his possibly fruitless search for Merle. The group was breaking.

The fall, his now throbbing injured torso, and the close call with the walker had shifted his focus. The trail for Sophia had gone dead. Another day wasted almost getting himself killed. His only consolation was that raggedy old doll. His adrenaline had kicked in when he found it. It spoke of the potential of saving Sophia. The potential of doing something right. However, now it just seemed like more false hope that he was going to present to poor Carol. He felt protective of the woman. Saw a lot of his own mother in her. Or at least how he had always imagined his mother to be.

He began his long trek back to the farm when he heard a branch snap. He froze on a start and in one swift move drew his crossbow from where it was slung across his back. Even coming out of his pain and delusion, he had the sense to retrieve his bolt from the walker's rotting flesh. His eyes scanned the tree line for walkers but there was no sign of them. No tell tale groan, no whiff of the dead. Then he heard a slight sound coming from several yards behind him. A muffled and quiet, but distinctly human sound. Like someone stifling a cough. He slowly crept towards the source of the noise and then heard an even more distinctly human sound, a whispered '_oh shit_.'

The voice was unmistakably female. Not feeling the least bit misogynistic, he felt a bit of tension in his shoulders release. Daryl Dixon had met very few men that he could not hold his own against, let alone a woman. Especially one who was clearly as dimwitted as to give away her existence and location through a frustrated swear. He approached to find a young woman, backed against the rough bark of a tree, eyes clamped shut with a large rock clenched between long fingers. As though she had thought that if she couldn't see the potential threat that they couldn't see her either. Even with the large rock, she seemed like such a lack of a threat that Daryl felt temporarily disarmed. He had expected a walker, a looter, anything but this clearly naïve woman-child. He kept his crossbow drawn and simply cleared his throat. The woman kept her eyes closed but spoke in a put on bravado.

"Look, I know you're standing right in front of me and probably have a gun to my head so if you're going to kill me just go ahead and get it over with okay? Clearly we're both really busy people."

Daryl lowered his crossbow an inch and began to process this strange encounter when the woman's eyes shot open; and taking advantage of his temporarily distracted state, lunged at him with the rock. Thrown off guard his bow fell to the ground, him along side it. The woman threw the rock down and began to sprint away. Daryl slowly rose from the forest floor, catching his breath and recovering from the shock. He watched as her figure grew smaller in the tree line. '_Girl isn't even that fast_,' he scoffed to himself. He debated for a moment going after her. Could she have a group? Would they be able to find the farm? The way she was uselessly bounding through the woods, he knew tracking her wouldn't be any difficulty.

Then for the second time in a matter of minutes, he heard her utter 'Oh shit.' Without thinking he chased after the girl and caught up in seconds. She wasn't alone. Four walkers had discovered her and she seemed frozen in fear. '_Doesn't even have her rock this time_.' He thought as he shot the one nearest clean through the eye. She looked over at him as though seeing him for the first time. She at least had the sense to pull the bolt from the walker's eye and ram it into that of an approaching female walker. By this time Daryl had fully reached her and used his hunting knife to finish off the rest.

Retrieving his last bolt from the eye of the walker she had killed, he looked at her and raised his eyebrows. "Gonna try and kill me with a rock again, girl?'

"I wasn't trying to kill you. Just get away. If I had been trying to kill you then you would certainly be dead." She set her jaw and tilted her chin upwards ever so slightly, giving off an air of obvious over-confidence. Daryl looked her over and couldn't help but laugh to himself. The girl looked like Carl could take her on. Verbally, she had balls at least.

" So what were ya doin' out here then?" Once spoken, he realized the question was a stupid one. What was anyone doing these days? Just trying to survive.

"I was just waiting patiently for something to come along and kill me. Is that going to be you or should I go back to waiting?"

Once again, Daryl was taken aback. He felt frustration at her nonchalance already. _An attitude like that was going to get her killed for real. All she had, had was a fucking rock. _

He slowly looked her up and down, as though taking inventory. Her skin, though fair, had taken on the same grimy dirt tone as his own. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy top knot. Judging by the bulk of it, her hair down was quite long. Again he thought, _'Stupid girl. Probably too vain to cut it for safety's sake_.' Her face was pretty enough. Soft features, nicely colored lips and eyes. Late twenties he judged. Lastly he took in her figure. Subconsciously taking note of her waist to hip ratio. Full bust, full hips, narrowed waist. She had probably once been very shapely, like those vintage pinups that Merle pasted up in the garage. The hunger and stress of survival left her body looking a bit drained. But still completely appealing to him. These days of survival were a primal time and he almost couldn't help it when his eyes lingered too long on her hips.

She broke him out of his daze by speaking. For the first time, slight fear was apparent in her eyes. His unintentional leer had obviously stirred something inside of her. "I almost wish you had been a walker.'

Bemused, he said nothing.

'You always know what to expect with walkers at least. You never have to be suspicious of their motives, their intentions. They just want to eat you. That bit of certainty in these uncertain times is comforting, don't you think?'

He took a step forward and she involuntarily flinched. His thoughts turned to how this must all seem to her. Here she was- backed against a tree by a man twice her size, leering at her, and wielding a deadly looking bow. He suddenly felt uncharacteristically sheepish.

'I ain't gonna hurt ya.' He made an effort to lower his bow. Not completely, but enough to try and set her at ease.

'Isn't that exactly what someone who was going to hurt you would say?'

Daryl felt that strange frustration return. "Woman, do ya take any goddamn thing seriously? You know that's what's gonna get ya killed."

She took a step forward and seemed to relax ever so slightly. "Jesus, sorry. It's a coping mechanism. We don't all cope with our stresses by drawing weapons at strangers."

"Yeah, this comin' from the girl who tried to kill me with a rock!"

"I told you! I wasn't trying to kill you. If I was, you'd be dead!'

At this point they were nearly toe to toe and he got a good idea of their differences in size and strength. She was tall enough for a woman but it was obvious that she had been one of those fruity 'yoga types.' She probably couldn't even do a proper push up. He noticed with amusement that her fingernails were even polished. _Typical woman, packs makeup during the apocalypse. _Once more, the idea of her killing him with a rock seemed laughable.

It was for all these reasons that he was questioning what to do next. Leaving her alone in these woods didn't sit right with him. She'd already be a goner if he hadn't have stepped in when he had. He could already tell that she would never admit to that though. She'd probably come up with a story about how she could have taken them all down with her bare hands; he thought to himself, almost affectionately.

"How the hell did you survive this long as ill-equipped as you are? You got a group?" Her body stiffened at the question.

"Had one. Wasn't for me in the end."

"Whys that," he smirked, "don't play nicely with others?"

She looked him straight and stoically in the eyes for the first time. "I just wasn't too keen on performing my womanly duties after a while."

As the meaning in what she said sunk in, Daryl's smirk disappeared. He felt a rage rise up somewhere deep inside. He knew that there were men who would take advantage of these hard times but the thought of it happening to girls as seemingly innocent as the one before him made his blood boil.

A protective urge appeared out of nowhere when he cleared his throat and said, "Grab your pack. Let's get you somewhere safe."

She was hesitant at first but after reviewing her options she slowly began to trail after him through the forest. They trekked in silence for a long while. Daryl kept wracking his brain, trying to come up with something meaningful to say. He wasn't good with words to begin with. Especially with pretty girls. Luckily, she broke the silence for him yet again.

"I took a self defense course once. I moved to the city for college and my mother insisted. I had a little pink bottle of pepper spray and everything. It was adorable. Anyways, they taught us that if a strange man comes up to us on the train or the sidewalk that we should look him straight in the eye and ask him for the time. That way he knows that you got a clear view of his face. And apparently, a man is way less likely to sexually assault you if you first engage him in conversation."

Daryl stopped walking and looked at her. Almost shyly she continued, "I was going to ask you for the time, but I figured you were probably not wearing a watch."

His hard features softened. "Ya aren't going to need to ask any of the men in our group for the time. I promise ya that." She seemed to accept this as fact and followed him quietly for a while longer. It occurred to Daryl then that he had never even thought to ask her name.

"I'm Daryl by the way" he muttered gruffly.

"Lily. Nice to meet you. Especially in such wonderful circumstances." She smiled at him for the first time. Slightly infectious, he felt the corners of his mouth twitch up. At this he felt a bit more comfortable speaking.

"So, where ya from?"

"New York. As you can imagine, staying there wasn't really a possibility. New Yorkers are like the walking dead on a good day. You probably would have loved it though. Seeing all us liberal democrats regretting our NRA-bashing ways. And I got out before things got particularly bad. I can't imagine how it must be now." Her voice trailed off.

"So what brings you this far south?"

"I was traveling with my brother and his wife and kid. We thought it best to get somewhere less densely populated. You know how it goes though, families get separated."

He certainly did understand. He thought of Merle every day. But the sudden sadness in her face and tone made it clear that she held out no hope for the survival of her family. He decided not to press the subject.

"I'm sure you'll like the group just fine. The women will be glad to have another lady around for whatever you girls do." He pushed back the thought of what he was going to say to Rick and Shane. Hershel was already hesitant about letting them stay. Bringing another stranger along was probably not going to be all that well accepted.

Suddenly, this thoughts turned back to his initial reason for being in the forest at all: Sophia. He almost felt ashamed that he had let himself get so distracted from the task at hand. "You didn't happen to see a little girl anywhere, did you?" Lily stopped walking and reached out for his arm.

"No, I'm afraid not. I'm so sorry. Is she your daughter?" She was looking at him with such deep concern that once again Daryl felt disarmed. He held her gaze and gruffly cleared his throat. "No, daughter of a woman in the group."

"I shouldn't be taking you away from your search. Really, it isn't at all necessary for me to come with you. You keep looking and I'll go about my way, really."

This time his eyes found hers. In a firm voice he sternly told her, 'No. You're coming back with me. I already had to save your little ass once today. It'll put a hell of a lot less strain on me having to do it again if you stay someplace I can keep an eye on you.'

Her face broke out into a small smile. "If you weren't so mean sounding, that would have almost been sweet."

It wasn't long before they reached the farm. She was hesitant about coming out from the forest.

"Come on now girl. They ain't gonna bite."

Just then a shot fired, hitting Daryl in the head and he fell to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

_**you were knocking me down with the palm of your eye;**_

For a split second that she would always remember with shame, Lily considered turning around and fleeing as Daryl lay there bleeding. Instinctively her fight or flight mode had kicked in and she was responding to the potential approaching threat with pure adrenaline.

But seeing Daryl's body in the clearing, a different instinct took over. She rushed to his side and knelt beside him. Luckily it seemed that the bullet had only grazed his head but he was going in and out of consciousness.

She was so focused on taking stock of his health that she hardly noticed the man screaming for Daryl quickly approaching. Again, her instinct upon being discovered by these strangers was to leave. As though reading her mind, Daryl peered at her through heavy lidded eyes. _Don't even think about going in those woods again._ So she stayed by his side and prepared herself for introductions and questions.

The next few hours would be only fuzzy snapshots of memories for Daryl. Being dragged up to the farmhouse by Rick and T-Dog. Hershel treating him and complaining about how quickly he was going through medicine since they arrived. Andrea's sheepish apology at having shot him. The splitting pain in his head. The stitches up his side.

All the while he was wondering where she was. The fact that nobody had mentioned her to him had him worried for a bit. He thought that perhaps she had run off. Perhaps they had run her off. Almost as troubling was the idea that maybe no one in the group had thought to mention her to him because they didn't think that he could possibly care.

He awoke to find someone bringing him a plate of food. For a moment he was sure that it was she, but was guiltily a bit disappointed to see that it was Carol. Childishly it put him in a foul mood. He would never admit it to himself, but deep down inside he had a vision of Lily sitting by his bedside, nursing him back to health. _I'm the one who fucking brought her here. Why isn't she here with me?_ _Because Dixon, it's no different from the group. Nobody really cares about you. Just that you're well enough to go kill them some food._

He drifted back to sleep and awoke just as angry.

He sat up too quickly and the rush of blood to his head brought on a wave of nausea and gold sparks across his vision. He knew that he was still out of sorts, that he should stay in that bed. But goddamn it, he had to find out what was going on. Had to find out what she was doing.

Holding a cup of coffee. That's what she was doing. He's laying on his potential deathbed with a gunshot wound to the head. And she's sitting around the fireside with Dale, Andrea, T-Dog, and the others. With a fucking cup of coffee, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

He slowly made his way to the group and merely grunted a greeting. Andrea gave him a guilty, tight lipped smile but everyone else was happy to see him. "Hey man, I swear you recover way faster than most," T-Dog gently reached out a hand.

"Yeah well, it was just a little bullet wound to the skull." Daryl knew that he was sulking. He just hoped it would get the desired effect. He could feel Lily's eyes on him but he refused to look at her.

"We were just getting to know your new friend. She was telling us all about those walkers you two took down in the woods today." Dale chimed in warmly.

"Oh yeah? She tell you about how she would have been good and dead if it weren't for me? She mention that the only weapon she had on her was a fucking rock?" Daryl chanced a glance at Lily to see if his words had stung.

They hadn't.

Instead she laughed lightly, "Come on Daryl. It was a pretty good rock. I managed to disarm you with it easily enough?"

He'd had enough. "You really think it's fucking funny? Being that ill-prepared out there? If I hadn't shown up you wouldn't even be alive to have this conversation. What are you going to do the next time you're out there alone with them? Joke with a walker to death? Fucking stupid woman." Daryl knew that he was being out of line but his frustrations just could not be contained.

Lily's voice became soft and strained, "I really appreciate what you did for me today. It's important that you know that."

Daryl released a bit of the tension in his jaw and slowly nodded.

"But," she continued, her tone quickly changing, "what I do and what happens to me is really none of your concern is it? I didn't ask for you to help me. We may not all be built for this Darwinian survivalist world like you, but it doesn't give you the right to be a condescending prick. Thank you all for your hospitality but I think it's about time that I headed back out on my own. I understand that your resources are stretched thin enough as it is and I don't want to intrude on your host. Please, give Hershel my warm regards."

Everyone sat in a stunned silence as Lily began to gather up her pack and say hurried goodbyes. Dale, Andrea, and Lori all looked at Daryl coldly. He began to feel a sick panic rise up in his chest. _You did it again Dixon._ Abruptly he rose up from the circle and without a word to the others, went after her.

Despite his injured state, it didn't take him very long to catch up. "You're really going to go out there alone in the dark? After everything?"

"Well it's clear that I overstayed my welcome. You were right though. Your group was very nice. In fact, I was having a fine time with everyone until you came back out."

The words cut into Daryl harder than they should have. If he hadn't of already been fixated on the cruel jabs from his previous hallucination of Merle. "Oh? So you think you'd prefer the group if I weren't in it? Why don't I just leave and you can make yourself nice and comfortable? You know what, it's my group. To hell with you, bitch."

Lily looked at him dumbstruck. "What the hell is wrong with you? It was literally hours ago that I first laid eyes on you. What could I possibly have done to make you this worked up?"

Daryl couldn't think of what to say next. Everything in his mind sounded as childish as it actually was. _You didn't come check on me enough. Why were you off with everyone but me? I brought you here. You were supposed to be mine._

His words wouldn't come but his feelings were clearly evident on his face. Lily's expression softened. "I was worried about you all day you know. I checked by your room about half a dozen times but you were always out of it. I didn't want to take away time with you from the people who you know, actually know you. I'm really glad that you're doing better."

Daryl swallowed hard, nodded, and mumbled an 'Okay.'

"Okay." Lily smiled gently and continued to gather her things from the old picnic table.

"So you're still leaving?" The strange wave of panic began to overtake Daryl again. He thought that he had fixed things. He thought that he had stopped her from leaving.

"Yeah, it's probably for the best. Your leaders seemed pretty unsure about me staying still. Things were just so chaotic today. The lighter one, Rick, he said he was going to ask me some questions in the morning. I figured I'd head off before dawn and save him the trouble." She smiled wryly, "I promise I'll find a better rock."

Daryl didn't smile. "Don't go."

Lily's brows rose. "What's this? Are you playing games with me? Embarrass and berate me in front of your friends and then beg me not to leave? I thought it was us girls who were supposed to be emotionally manipulative."

If Daryl Dixon were physically capable of blushing, he would have. He started to realize that it was the same things about this girl that drew him in that also infuriated him. She was fast with her words like he was with his bow. He had a hard enough time speaking on a regular basis. Around her it always felt like he swallowed his own tongue.

Perhaps taking pity on him, Lily spoke up. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'll stay until at least tomorrow. It's really the least I could do for you. Can't have you stalking after me with an only partially healed shot to the head."

The knot that had formed in Daryl's stomach at the fireside had slowly unwound. He could feel a sheepish embarrassment creep up his spine. He had acted like an entitled child and they both knew it. She was only being kind enough to not acknowledge it.

"You have a place to sleep? Hershel wants me up at the house to check on my head. You can use my tent if you want. I understand if you aren't comfortable sleeping by the rest of the group yet." The thought of her sleeping wrapped up in his bag made him feel comfortably warm inside. It was a feeling that he couldn't quite place.

"That's very kind of you. Andrea offered me her tent already though. She said she'd stay in the RV." Noticing the slight shift in Daryl's face she continued, "But I don't want to inconvenience her anymore than I already had. Your tent would be great."

Daryl felt a little jump inside his chest. Gruffly he cleared his throat, "Just let me move it up closer to the house and the rest of the group."

"Oh really, that isn't necessary. I'm sure it's completely fine where it is."

Almost eagerly he shook his head, "Oh it's safe enough where it is. I'll just feel better if it's closer to the house." For the first time all evening he offered her a smile, "Not that I think you can't handle yourself alone against a hoard of walkers."

"See Daryl, one day and you already know me so well."

It took Daryl about ten minutes to disassemble his tent, lug it from his spot on the outskirts of the farm and pitch it near the safe glow of the fire. Their reappearance at the fireside was greeted with playful chides from the rest of the group.

"Even Daryl couldn't scare this one away."

"See Daryl, women consider you slightly less threatening than facing walkers alone in the night."

Daryl knew that he deserved a bit of ribbing though. He didn't care. All he cared about that night as he lay awake in Hershel's house was that her soft body was wrapped up in his bag. Filling his tent.

Still, he wasn't sure why he cared. He had spent a good portion of the day on edge and infuriated with her. But now here he was, a slight giddiness in his chest thinking about it.

Despite the constant threats of danger, life had become in it's own way monotonous. With group relationships strained, her appearance in his life was like a breath of fresh air. Proof that things existed in the world beyond this group.

After he had assembled the tent and made sure his sleeping bag was laid out for her, he stepped out and held the tent flap open for her to enter.

"What are you doing?" The question threw him off guard. He struggled for the words but merely grunted.

"You're the one with the stitches. You've already put together the tent, what kind of nursemaid am I? Come on, I'll walk you to your room."

It was then that Daryl realized the physical toll that the day had taken on him. His head was pounding and where he had been stitched on his side felt as though it were about to break.

They padded into the house quietly. Lily made a show of pulling back the bedcovers and fluffing the pillows. She steadied his arm as he climbed into bed and pulled the sheets up to his chest. "If I had a few glasses of wine in me I'd sing you a lullaby too. Trust me, you'd hate it."

At this point he was sure that he wouldn't hate it at all.

Despite everything, deep inside he couldn't quite get past Merle's voice. _Little baby brother, gone all soft. Getting tucked in by some whore when he should be getting fucked in by some whore._

But then there she was, smiling kindly and blowing out the candle on his bedside table. "But if you're mean to be again tomorrow Daryl Dixon, I swear..I really will kill you this time."

She turned and left him alone in the dark.


	3. Chapter 3

_**How I said to you honey 'just open your heart.'/ when I've got trouble even opening a honey jar;**_

He dreamt that he was scaling a skyscraper. Halfway through the climb he realized that he was the one with a missing hand.

He awoke with a start. The sun was streaming in through the single window and he could hear the group going about their day outside. Hershel's drugs had really knocked him out.

Fuzzy recollections of the day before came streaming back to him. So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours. It seemed that lately the days held much more than they used to. As though time itself knew how greatly limited it was.

He rose slowly this time, testing his limits. Despite some sensitivity to light and the dull ache in his side, he felt much more like himself. Hershel's house was quiet, everyone must have been outside. Daryl hoped that the morning had been uneventful. No more walkers in the well.

He ran a hand down his weathered face, trying to wipe away the groggy remnants from his listless sleep. Shielding his eyes from the sun, he stepped outside.

"There he is. We were starting to wonder if Hershel had accidentally slipped you a horse tranquilizer." Andrea mulled about the campfire heating a tin of beans over the low flame. "You're just in time for lunch."

"It's good to see you almost good as new." Carol gave his arm a comforting squeeze.

"Yeah, almost." Daryl's eyes scanned the farm. Rick and Shane seemed to be deep into a discussion with Hershel. T-Dog was lugging down water from the operational well. He could see Lily in the distance, hanging bed sheets from a clothesline.

"You should eat something." Andrea gestured for Daryl to sit beside her, a plate of food prepared.

"Quit fussin', woman."

Andrea and Carol shared a small smile as Daryl stalked off. Clearly he was back to being himself.

"Hey Daryl, a minute?" He was halfway to the clothesline when Rick's voice drew him to a halt. Daryl scowled at the interruption.

"Yah?"

"I just wanted to have a quick word with you about that girl. Now Daryl, I know that I don't have to tell you how risky it could be bringing outsiders into the group. Not only for our safety but for Hershel's as well. I haven't had a chance to really speak with her yet but she seems harmless enough. I just have to be sure that you aren't going to make foolhardy decisions like this again in the future. There is just too much at stake." Rick's intentions seemed sincere but his words just made anger bubble dully in the pit of Daryl's stomach. He could feel his temper getting the best of him. If he were to look Rick in the eye he knew that he would explode. Not only over this issue, but all of his past frustrations over the group and their 'fearless leader.'

He was tired of being treated like a lackey. Didn't they trust his judgment? Didn't they have enough faith in him to think that he wouldn't blindly bring a potential threat into the group?

Instead he turned to Hershel. "Well good thing Hershel here is a better man than you then. Otherwise we'd all most likely be dead." He ignored their faces. Rick's stunned. Shane's angry. Hershel's thoughtful. He continued on his way.

Snippets of Lily's conversation drifted towards him as he neared the clothesline. "I'm being totally serious with you. If you weren't here right now, I'd be way too scared to hang this laundry. I mean, a walker could be behind this sheet right now."

At her words Carl ran through the sheets with an exaggerated growl. Lily feigned shock and fear, letting her basket of socks fall to the ground. "Oh Carl, you were supposed to save me. But now who can save me _from_ you?"

Daryl almost didn't want to interrupt their games. He sometimes forgot that Carl was still a little kid. Especially when he remembered what the Dixon boys were like at that age. Still, it was good to see Carl laughing. Since Sophia's disappearance and his gunshot would, there had been even less of it.

"Okay Mr. Monster, if you help me pick up these socks I promise I'll tell you a REALLY scary story. About the kind of stuff you see on the L train after midnight."

Carl looked on bemused but went to work gathering the scattered undergarments.

Lily turned and saw Daryl mere feet away. "Oh hi! It's good to see you finally awake. I was just helping Maggie with a few things. Then Carl attacked." She shot him a conspiring look. "Take these in to your mom?"

Daryl looked her over as Carl made his exit. She had changed out of her dirty clothes from the day before into clean jeans and a fresh flannel. He had half hoped to see her in one of his. Her hair was down her back in a thick braid. The thought of walkers crossed his mind at the sight of it. _That girl's braid could just as easily be her noose if she's not careful._ He considered bringing it up then and there but thought better of it. "You good with kids?"

"Hah, is that a question or a compliment? I hope I'm a bit good. I worked as nanny since high school. Lots of Upper East Side housewives who will pay any amount of money to get out of spending time with their kids."

"So you were a nanny before this?"

"Part time nanny, part time bartender, part time cocktail waitress, part time office administrator, semi regular plasma donor/medical test subject. Rent was steep. What did you do?"

Daryl grunted. "Doesn't much matter now, does it?"

"Are you always this evasive or is just my presence that leaves you at such a loss for words?"

"Are you always this goddamn bold?"

"Yes." She firmly set her jaw and held eye contact with him for the first time. As though challenging him to question her again. Her eyes crinkled at the corners and her face broke out into a small lighthearted smile. "I bet you're just cranky because your blood sugar is crashing. I'm going to get the rest of the laundry from Patricia. You should go eat something."

Daryl opened his mouth as though to speak but she was already heading towards the house. _She's been here less than a whole day and she's already goin around like she owns the place. Damn east coast bitches. _A slight affection crept into his thoughts though. Dixons were known to like feisty women. The appeal of the demure Southern lass was a myth. He only hoped that Rick would be as accepting of her.

He grabbed a plate of beans and went off into his tent. Glenn and Maggie had been at the fireside making googoo eyes at each other and it was making him lose his appetite. He entered the flap to see his little home in total disarray. Lily's pack lay on the ground, her sparse belongings strewn everywhere. _Again, like she owned the damn place. _

He had to admit though, seeing her underwear on his floor certainly drew a bit of heat to his lower regions. They were all lace, silk, and sheer. Nothing like the practical things belonging to Carol and Lori that he had inadvertently seen in the communal laundry.  
Aside from the clothing, the rest of her belongings littered the little fold up table that he used as a workbench. Photographs, jewelry, a tattered copy of a book. _Yeah, really practical…_

He reached for the stack of photographs and began to flip through them. It didn't really feel like snooping to him. Hell, she had left them out in the open. In his goddamn tent. There were a good number of photos of a cat. It wasn't difficult to imagine her sitting alone in her home, rambling away to a disinterested animal. The photographs made him smile. There were many of her clearly a bit intoxicated and out with friends. Seeing her in pretty dresses with her hair and makeup done. A small part of him half-considered sneaking one of the photos into his back pocket. Something to look at later in his room alone.

The last photo made his breath catch in his throat. Lily in a wedding dress. She looked absolutely stunning. Her hair pulled halfback, the rest falling in careless waves. A fitted dress that hugged her figure like a glove. Her smile was easy but something in her eyes looked strained.

His sights turned towards the groom in the photo. Of course he had to look like a fucking movie star. Clean shaven, dark hair, and straight white teeth. Straight white teeth that his daddy probably bought him. Daryl felt an instant distain for the man in the photo. His only consolation upon judging the man in the photo was that he was confident he could kick the man's ass in a fight.

_So what if she's married. She's just some stupid woman who's just gonna get herself killed anyways. You don't need any of that trouble._

For the second time in twenty-four hours, he found himself in a horrible mood because of Lily.

He took his now uneaten plate of beans back to the campfire where he found the women of the camp gathered. Lily smiled at him as he approached. He was in no mood for any of her goodwill however. "My tent is a mess 'cause of you. You mind?"

A blush crept to her cheeks. "You're right, I'll go gather my stuff up right now." Abruptly she left the circle.

Dale turned to Daryl, "You really should be a bit easier on the girl, Daryl. From what Rick has mentioned it sounds like she may have been through quite a bit."

"Rick spoke to her already today?"

"Not much from what I'd seen. Apparently though, Carl was very adamant about him not turning her away."

A small smile played at Daryl's mouth, remembering Lily and Carl at the clothesline. "Damnit, I'll go apologize."

Lily was rummaging through her pack when he entered the tent. She looked up at him accusingly, "You went through my photographs, didn't you?"

He felt his face go warm. "Goddamn woman, you left them out on my table. I'd hardly call that trespassing." He swallowed, "Clearly I don't know nothing about ya."

"Well, if you wanted to know then all you had to do is ask." She hesitated for a split second, "Is there anything that you want to ask?"

"The people in the photographs, you know if they're okay?"

She fanned the photos out in her hand and peered at them wistfully. "I'm sure Mr. Snuggles is. He was the bravest cat ever and I was so sad to let him go. He's probably feasting on a biter as we speak." Her brave face wavered for just a moment, "I don't know about any of my friends. I don't think I'll ever see them again." Her voice took on a colder tone; "And Charlie's probably up high in some penthouse apartment with a glass of scotch watching the walkers prowl the streets and thinking 'what peasants'."

"That your husband?"

"My ex-husband. Stupid mistake on my part. I knew it was a mistake even during the wedding reception."

"How did ya know?"

"He wasn't very nice to the waiters. I think it's really important to be friendly to servers."

Daryl felt his mouth twitch into a smirk. She stated it so matter-of-factly. "Why save the photograph then?"

She laughed and smiled a self-effacing grin. "Typical vanity. I didn't think I'd ever get a chance to take a photograph again, let alone one where I looked that great."

Daryl's jealously and irritation over the wedding photograph quickly evaporated. _Nothing for you to be happy about anyways Dixon. You saw the man in that picture. Clearly she has a type and you are the farthest thing from it. Just give it up already._

He abruptly cleared his throat and turned to exit the tent. "I think I'm going to go out scouting for Sophia. There are still a few good hours of light left. From what Dale said, Rick thinks you're okay to stay for now. Try not to fuck it up."

She was left speechless, wondering how she had upset him this time.

The search for Sophia proved to be fruitless again. He hadn't even bagged any kills. Night had fallen by the time he returned to camp. He made a beeline for his tent. Her things were gone. Guess she had decided to stay in Andrea's tent after all.

He heard low, serious voices coming from around the campfire. He approached the group quietly, took a seat beside Glenn. Various members acknowledged him with a small wave or smile but they seemed too distracted by Lily to be more welcoming. He wondered what they had been talking about. It only took a moment for him to find out.

Shane's expression was cold and hard. " I feel like we have a right to know their numbers and strength. If they're in the general area they could present a threat to us."

Lily looked up, glanced at Daryl. "Maybe twice as many people as here total. They were always scattered about though. They were mostly men but I don't think they had many more firearms than you."

"It's hard to imagine a group of survivors being any different to us here. Were things really as bad as Rick hinted at?" Carol eyes were full of concern.

Lily stared into the fire and scoffed to herself, "Trust me. You're all much better company."

Lori reached out a caring hand, "You don't have to tell us anything. We understand."

Smiling gently, Lily met Lori's gaze. "It's really quite alright. Sort of stuff that probably happens to the majority of people these days." She took a breath. "We were driving down from New York – my brother Keith, his wife Rebecca, and their son Kyle. He's just a few years younger than Carl. We made it to about Philly when our car died. There, we ran into this other group of survivors. They mentioned something about heading down to Tallahassee. We decided we'd join them.

"Things were okay for the first day or so. They shared their food with us, the men took turns keeping watch. I can't say that they made me feel entirely comfortable, but it was manageable. Our second day with them, they invited my brother to go out scavenging in the woods. He didn't come back. Rebecca was inconsolable. She went running off into the woods, me trailing after her, to try and find his body. To give him a proper burial. We found him not far outside the camp. He had a single gunshot wound to the head. No bites, no cuts. Just the deliberate gunshot. At that point we knew that they had murdered him. We had no choice but to return to their camp though, Kyle was still there."

Her voice and demeanor was stoic, but her eyes still shone, moist with unshed tears. "The group had divided when we returned. I guess half of them had decided to scout ahead in a caravan while the rest remained behind. They sent Kyle off ahead with the scouting group. They told us that clearly our only chances of Rebecca getting to see her boy again was if we remained behind with them. We didn't know what else to do. We had no food, no weapons, no protection. We stayed. That night, men forced themselves on both of us. And then most nights after. And at first I'd claw and scream and cry but after a while you just get so tired. I'd just lay there like a dead fish and wait for it to be over. Hah, I'd go through the plots of old episodes of 'I Love Lucy' in my head. The one with the factory line and the chocolates is still a classic."

She gave a brave smile but found that no members of the group were smiling back. Daryl felt as though his heart could have broken if he hadn't been so consumed with rage. His fists clenched and his entire body had gone tense. Muscles and joints poised to fight, even though the danger was now just a dark figment of her memory.

"The nights where someone didn't drag you into their tent were almost worse. Otherwise you'd have to spend the long night alone outside in the dark. We devised so many plans to leave. We left and came back so many times. Becca just couldn't give up on hoping that her son would appear. And I couldn't leave her. Then, a few weeks ago Rebecca got pregnant. She and I had hid it from them for as long as we possibly could," Lily's voice broke, "but eventually it became obvious. They confronted us over it at breakfast one morning. The leader Roger, he grabbed her by her hair, dragged her into the clearing and shot her. Just like that. Said he wasn't going to deal with any goddamn babies around. He could have been the father. He came back to camp, threw me his shirt telling me to wash her bloodstains from it, and told me that I was a lucky girl. Now I'd get it twice as often. I left that night."

Suddenly it all made sense to Daryl. Her appearance in the woods, without so much as a weapon or a bite of food with her. She hadn't been fighting to survive, she had been fleeing. He wanted to go to her. To put his arms around her, her face in his hands. Anything to try and block out the horrible memories invading her thoughts.

Instead he stayed seated and watched as Lori, with tears running down her cheeks, pulled Lily into an embrace. "We aren't going to make you go anywhere okay? You're with us now."

Lily suddenly became conscious of the half a dozen eyes on her. She let out a nervous little laugh. "Thank you all for coming to my pity party. Can we talk about something else now please?"

Dale stepped up with a question about what it was like living in New York. Maggie's eyes glistened wistfully, "I bet it was awfully glamorous."

A bit of genuine humor returned to Lily's eyes. "People who have never lived there always think that. Once you get used to strangers peeing on your doorstep and your kitchen doubling as your bedroom, it's pretty okay." She smiled to herself as her vision slightly glazed over. It was obvious that she was reminiscing on a life that she had long left behind. "I will always miss being able to get a sandwich all hours of the night though."

As the group dispersed, Daryl caught her by the arm. It was the first time since her confession at the campfire that he was alone with her. A million thoughts and sentiments were running through his mind. He wanted to say something perfect and meaningful. Something to comfort her and let her know that she was safe now. Let her know that he would protect her. But no words came.

Instead he grunted, "I saw your stuff was outta my tent. I have first watch tonight if you want to use it again. I didn't mean to scare ya off earlier."

Her mouth twitched playfully, "Like you could scare me off anyways. It's alright though, I'm going to stay with Andrea tonight. You know, braid each other's hair, tell each other secrets."

She stood on tiptoe and gave him the smallest of kisses on the cheek. "Really, thank you again for bringing me here. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't found me."

"Yeah, uh well don't mention it." His skin was burning where she had kissed him. She offered him one last small smile and left him alone to his watch.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Thanks everyone for the review/follows/favorites. This is just a short and sweet chapter, something light after the previous heavy one!**

**_we'd talk __as soft as chalk,__till morning came, as pale as a pearl;_**

Daryl found it incredibly difficult to focus during his watch. He couldn't keep his thoughts from going back to Lily's confession. What had the world come to? He often doubted whether or not he was a good man but he knew that, that kind of evil just did not dwell inside of him. Not even inside of Merle.

He heard the soft sound of footsteps and turned on a start, instinctively placing a hand on the crossbow that lay beside him on the ground. When he saw that it was simply Lily, padding barefoot across the grass – a different nervousness rose up inside him.

Her thick braid had come undone, her long hair falling in a mess of curls down her shoulders. She was adorned in a long flannel button up, reaching midway down her thighs and little else. He had to make a conscious effort to keep his expression even, his thin lips in a straight line. Anything to keep from gaping at her.

Without so much as looking at him, she took a seat, stretched her legs out in front of her and leaned back on her palms. He hadn't noticed earlier how long her legs were. Now didn't seem like the appropriate time to admire them however. But he could still have a little look… He noticed they were covered in small cuts and gashes. His brows furrowed thinking of her previous abuse.

Noticing his concern, Lily let out a small chuckle. "I know what you're thinking. And I should just let you continue thinking that because the real truth is much worse."

With a sheepish smile, she continued. "Well I ran out of razors a while back and I really missed shaving my legs. I figured a pocket knife would work pretty much the same. And I mean, I was up to date on my tetanus shots so I gave it a try! God, you should see my underarms. They're even more mangled. It's a wonder I didn't bleed out."

A part of Daryl wanted to laugh. She was completely honest and shameless in her vanity. And looking at her fair face in the moonlight, he felt she had ample reason to be vain.

But a larger part of him was again frustrated with her and her lack of common sense. He felt a great deal of responsibility for the girl. As if because he found her, now she was his charge. He felt as though he had to keep her safe and sound and whole. And like a little fool, she just continued to make that difficult.

"Ya did this out by the creek?"

She nodded and smiled lightly, "It's probably still running red."

"Ya know walkers can smell blood right? You really felt like having smooth legs was worth the risk of attracting walkers?"

"It's not just about having smooth legs. It's wanting to retain just a small sense of normalcy. Just a little bit of the life that I had before."

She took the smallest glance in his direction and coyly spoke, "Besides, I wanted my legs to feel nice if anyone was to touch them."

Daryl simultaneously hated and loved the ability that women had. They could always manage to expose their true feelings and desires without having to go out on a limb. Always kicking the ball into the man's court.

If this had been any other time and any other girl, Daryl would have taken that little flirtation as his cue to pounce on her. But clearly, tonight was not the right time for that. As much as he may want to touch her, he never could with her memories of her former group still so fresh in both of their minds.

Besides, she was so different to any of the women he had been with before. He almost didn't know how to act around her. His thoughts turned to the photo of her ex-husband. She may have annulled the marriage but something about him must have initially attracted her.

They probably drank expensive cocktails, twirled around in clubs, got frisky together in cabs. She probably wasn't the kind of girl that he could win over by smashing an empty bottle of Southern Comfort over the head of his romantic rival.

But still, she wanted him to touch her legs? Is that what she meant? It had to be. _She probably just sees you as a potential fun lay. City girl wants to try it out with a redneck. It would make a fun story for her girlfriends if she ever sees them again. Shacked up with a Hillbilly to survive the zombie apocalypse._

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he momentarily forgot that she was still beside him. He could tell even by the moonlight that she was blushing. That she was slightly cringing. She had clearly taken his silence for rejection.

"You know, I totally wasn't talking about you touching my legs. I happen to have a really big thing for bucket hats and Hawaiian shirts. I'm hoping that Dale notices me any day now."

For the first time all night, Daryl gently tilted his head back and laughed heartily.

Almost unconsciously he reached his hand over and rested it firmly just above her knee. She was right, her legs felt smooth as silk. They felt divine.

She looked down and smiled softly to herself.

He didn't try and go farther. He didn't stroke her legs or try and brush her thigh. He just let his hand remain. _Yes, I'm here. I'm here._ It felt like the most natural thing in the world.

A quiet tension seemed to settle over the two of them and they sat in silence for a number of moments.

"Carol told me about your brother Merle. I'm really sorry about that. I know how hard it is. Were the two of you very close?"

Lily could tell by the way that Daryl's grip on her knee tightened at the question that it was a sore subject. She hoped that he would confide in her anyways.

"It's always been Merle and me. He's pretty much the one who raised me."

Lily gave him a sad smile. "We have that in common then. Obviously I mean my brother, not Merle. Our dad stepped out when I was really young so Keith stepped up. He's the one who taught me to ride a bike, taught me to drive. Beat up my boyfriends."

Daryl chuckled, "Well Merle did some beating up, but it was never any boyfriends. I know that sonofabitch is okay out there somewhere. I just need to get a chance to find him."

"Why don't you leave? I'm sure the group would understand."

Daryl looked at Lily meaningfully. He couldn't leave now. He didn't want to leave now. Not while she was here. "Nah, I'm not going anywhere."

She held his gaze and spoke slowly, "Well I can't say I'm disappointed by that."

For a split second Daryl thought to kiss her. But she opened her mouth to speak again and the moment had passed. "Because if you left, then it would be like when your date takes you to party where you don't anyone, and then gets horrendously drunk and leaves you alone and awkward with strangers."

He smirked, "And I'm your date in this scenario?"

"Yes! And if booze were involved, I would totally expect you to be fall-down drunk. Even though, I don't know. I bet I could give you a run for your money."

He scoffed playfully, "Oh yeah girl? I could drink you under the table. Look at you. Two of those little girly drinks and I bet you're a goner."

"You're totally underestimating the power of my liver. From a long line of drunk Irish and Germans, baby. I can go all night."

Daryl suddenly had the strongest urge to get this girl drunk. He was silently cursing himself for not swiping booze from the CDC.

"You can go all night? I'll believe that when I see it."

Lily's cheeks turned bright red. For someone as seemingly confident and bold, he was pretty good at making her bashful and flustered when he put his mind to it.

He suddenly felt very conscious of his hand on her knee. Of their close proximity. He could feel her warm breath on his face whenever she spoke. It would be so easy for the two of them to go back to his tent. He wouldn't have to talk at all…

A sound from behind snapped both of them back to reality. Daryl inwardly cursed when he saw Glenn approaching to take over the watch. Glenn seemed surprised to see the two of them together but made no mention of it.

Lily smiled at him warmly. "Daryl was just a bit afraid sitting out here on his own in the dark. He asked me to come out and protect him."

Daryl shook his head but couldn't help the grin playing at his lips. He had never known a woman to goad him like she did. He had never known himself to enjoy it so much.

He bid Glenn goodnight and they took off towards their tents.

His sleeping bag was warm. It still smelled faintly of her.

For the first time in weeks, he fell asleep easily.


	5. Chapter 5

_**but I am still a coward, **__**content to see my garden grow**__** / **__**so sweet & full **__**of someone else's flowers.**_

The next morning Glenn seemed on edge. Daryl assumed that perhaps he was just overtired from his early morning watch, but something was certainly not right with the younger man. He even rebuffed Maggie's advances when she affectionately reached for him at breakfast. In these times, for a man to reject a woman; something had to be amiss.

Daryl had more important things to think about though, namely Sophia. He planned to scout immediately after breakfast. At the very least, he hoped to come home with some fresh meat. He quickly downed a cup of the watery instant coffee, a bowl of cut oats and filled his canteen with well water before heading off.

He hadn't even waited around to say hello to Lily. The night before had left him feeling out of sorts. He was experiencing too many foreign emotions. In the past women were mainly equated with two: desire and irritation. With Lily, it was entirely different. Affection, jealousy, frustration, fear, and so much longing.

Alone at night, just the two of them, he could almost push past his insecurities and concerns. He could just enjoy her company for whatever it was. He could chance himself to believe that perhaps it could be something more.

But in the light of day, surrounded by their companions. Thinking about his responsibilities, their stations in the world: he didn't know how to act. So the hard Dixon exterior returned and he did what he did best: He ran from it.

She had tried to catch his eye at breakfast. Had tried to engage him in warm conversation. But he could feel the eyes of the group on him. Imagined how they must see him. The wild redneck. The hunter animal. He kept his expression neutral but his eyes cold. He ignored her as much as he could.

_I guess rejecting women is the norm in this camp after all._

After his meal, he went to the tent to retrieve his bow. He saw Lily sat at the wooden picnic table, a pile of clothing needing mending in front of her. As though she could feel his eyes boring into her, she looked up. His heart jumped for a split second but she acted as though she were looking right through him. As if he wasn't even there. She went back to her sewing as though nothing had happened.

Daryl knew that it was what he probably deserved after his treatment of her at breakfast but it didn't stop his negative reaction. _Damn it, Dixon._

The search for Sophia had been fruitless. He circled around from the highway, to the abandoned house, to the creek where he had retrieved the doll. The supplies on the hood of the car were untouched and the house seemed undisturbed. He turned his attention to bagging some decent game for dinner instead.

Over half a dozen squirrels later, he decided to make his way back to camp. Trekking through the forest, he let his thoughts wander back to the night before with Lily. He could not believe that it was only two days earlier that she had entered his life. The days had simultaneously flew by and dragged on.

He felt as though she had always been there. A thousand things came to mind that he wanted to share with her. He wanted to apologize, to try and explain to her why he was the way that he was. He was sorry for being so hot and cold. He was sorry that he couldn't express himself. He was sorry if he couldn't make himself be the man that she wanted. The man that she deserved.

He always felt so at ease when he was on his own in the woods. A part of him was sad to see the clearing before him. He knew that his coherent thoughts about what to say would vanish with the tree line. He'd be as inept and speechless around her as always.

Just as he was leaving the woods, he was abruptly pulled from his own thoughts. Gunfire. About a quarter mile away from the camp. He took off running in the direction, stealthily slowing down as he neared the source of the sound. The sound could mean anything: walkers, an approaching group.

Relief washed over him when he realized that it was simply members of his own group, practicing at a homemade firing range.

Shane was obviously in his element. Shouting orders and standing erect like a Marines drill sergeant. Yelling at a number of the woman of the camp and Hershel's daughters. This was just the kind of thing to get a pig like Shane off. Daryl noticed Lily's presence and felt a strange drop in his stomach. He slowly made his way over to the group.

Her aim was terrible. Even standing a mere ten feet away, she couldn't get a steady shot on a tin can. She would be absolutely hopeless against a gang of walkers. Daryl felt his throat tighten as Shane approached her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, another on her side– guiding her into the proper stance. His hand gently ran along the length of her ribs to her hips. Her discomfort at the situation seemed palatable. Her shot with Shane's 'help' was even worse.

Shane would probably assume it was because he made her nervous, that she was attracted to him. But even Daryl, with all of his own uncertainty, could tell that it was farthest from the truth. Her aversion to Shane was all over her face. He felt his animosity to the man grow in folds.

Andrea was the first to notice him. "Hey there. Figured I'd get a bit of practice in before I tried to shoot you again." He allowed himself to smirk slightly.

Shane's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the appearance of Daryl. He seemed to think that teaching the women to shoot had been his role and his role alone. He increased his physical hold on Lily and yelled at her to focus on her target when her gaze drifted over to Daryl. She fired her shot and again missed.

"Come on now!" Shane bellowed in her ear, "You're the only one to not make a single shot today. What if these were walkers instead of cans. You'd be dead. Every single one of us could be dead because of you!" The color rose to Lily's face. She braced herself to shoot again. The bullet whizzed past the target.

She turned to Shane before he could shout at her again. "Would you cut it out already?! You screaming in my ear is not going to help me to focus!"

Shane's expression quickly changed to one of pure annoyance. He removed his hands from her sides and opened his mouth as though to speak. Daryl was between them before he had a chance.

He tried to break the tension. "Don't sweat it Shane. This one seems like a lost cause anyways."

Lily looked at him with indignation. "For your information Daryl. For _both_ of your information, I bet I could be a great shot with some practice. If I'd just get a fair chance. And if I am such a lost cause, why don't you both go focus on the other half a dozen people here and just back off of me."

_Good job breaking the tension Dixon. You try and make a joke and it just goes out of control._

Lily had turned her back on both of them and was diligently focused on hitting the target. Daryl tried to get her attention but she seemed to be oblivious to him. So Shane and Daryl turned to the rest of the group, helping them with their stance and technique. Shane had stopped screaming at everyone. All the while Lily focused on her missed target. She stayed like that for another half an hour as the rest of the group slowly filtered back to the camp.

Before long only she and Daryl remained. "Come on, you've practiced enough today. We can try it again tomorrow. I'm sure you'll get it."

Lily shook her head adamantly. "No. Everyone else got it today. I have to get it too." She was almost pouting.

"Doesn't matter if everyone else got it. Ya sound like a child, ya know."

"I don't care. I'm not used to being bad at things. I have to get it."

"Ya can't help it that you grew up, up north. Most of these women have always been around guns. Of course they'll be better."

"Doesn't matter. Nobody is making you stay Dixon. I'll see you at camp after I get my target enough times."

"Well I can't leave you out here alone. At least let me help you."

Lily scoffed. "Oh, so now you want to be my friend. I feel like the only time you're decent towards me is when nobody else is around."

The words slightly stung, if only because Daryl realized they were partly true. He softened his tone, "Come on, let me help you. Then we can head back up. I have a bunch of squirrels I need to take care of for dinner."

She turned to him with a defiant tilt of her chin but agreed with a touch of reluctance. "Fine." Her resentment slowly seemed to evaporate. "But only because I'd rather you teach me than Shane anyways. We all felt like he was just trying to cop a feel from us. Get it? Cop a feel. He used to be a cop." She was back to being herself.

Daryl smirked in spite of himself. "That is such a stupid joke."

"Yeah, but it made even hardass Daryl Dixon grin so I think it was pretty successful."

"Come on woman, focus." Watching her stance and technique over several shots, it became obvious where her difficulties in shooting were. "Your dominant hand and your dominant eye are on different sides of your body."

He positioned himself behind her and gently placing his arms around hers, helped her to line up the shot. "Ya see, you're trying to aim with your right hand and your right eye and you keep missing. Your left eye must be stronger. Tilt your face a bit this way. Look at the target with your left eye."

She did as she was told and sure enough the bullet hit the can with a _ping._

The reverb of the gunshot had knocked her body firmly into his. Daryl didn't move an inch. For the smallest of seconds they remained that way, with her back flush against his hard chest, his arms still around her. Daryl caught a strong whiff of her hair and neck. She smelled like sweat, soap, and honey.

Then she realized that she had hit her target and instantly the gun was out of her hands and she was celebrating in his arms. "Daryl, I got it! I got it! Oh, you're a genius!"

Her excitement was so childlike and infectious that he couldn't help but smile. A real smile. She suddenly became conscious of his eyes on her, his arms around her. For once it seemed that she was the one at a loss for words. She looked up at him expectantly. He said nothing. Her smile slowly faded.

Suddenly, she was apologizing.

"I feel like I owe you an apology. I'm sorry if my being here is weird for you. Like maybe you feel some unwanted responsibility for me because you brought me here. I'm just letting you know that you aren't. You're not responsible. Not for my safety or my happiness. I really want to be your friend but sometimes, like this morning at breakfast, it really feels like you resent me." Her voice got very small, "And I don't want you to resent me."

Daryl felt his chest tighten. He had continually been so wrapped up in his own insecurity issues that he failed to think about the effect that his cold treatment of her would cause. And here she was again, laying it all out for him. It seemed so simple for her to present him with the pieces of herself.

"I don't resent you. I don't resent you at all."

"So you're just a complete asshole sometimes then?" She raised an eyebrow and spoke dryly.

"That seems to be the general opinion."

"Well, I don't think you're an asshole. I think you might just want people to think that. Because if everyone thinks that you are then they'll stay at arm's length. Then you'll never have to get close to anyone and you'll never have to risk getting hurt."

He felt a combination of bewilderment, rage, and shame. He knew that she was partially right _but who the hell did she think she was?_ "You calling me a coward?"

"There are different kinds of cowards Dixon."

She was so close to him. _He wanted to grab her firmly and shake her. He wanted to take her back into his arms and kiss her. Roughly and sternly. To make her gasp and moan. His name. Only his name. To shut her up. Prove that he wasn't any type of coward. That even though she could talk circles around him there were still certain ways that he could always get her. And most importantly, to prove that no – he didn't fucking resent her._

His eyes were dark with longing and something else when he finally met her gaze. He couldn't be sure what she saw behind them but she seemed to take the look in his eyes as an answer. She seemed placated for the moment.

"Come on, let's get back to camp." She bent to retrieve the pistol and they headed off together.


	6. Chapter 6

**_I wish we could take every path; I could spend a hundred years __adoring you._**

The quarter-mile walk back to Hershel's farm was spent largely in silence.

At one point Lily had offered to help Daryl carry the squirrels. "It doesn't even gross me out." She bragged.

Sometimes she reminded him so strongly of a child. Trying to act adult and impressive. He hated to admit that he found it strangely endearing.

"You know Daryl, I could even help you skin them. I took a class in high school once, Wildlife Preservation.' I signed up thinking it was about preserving the rainforest, eliminating poaching, stuff like that. I was confused at first as to why I was the only girl in the class. Then the first day the teacher comes in and drops this huge, bloodied deer on the desk. He picks up a hunting knife and says, 'Come get it kids.'"

Daryl couldn't help but laugh- imagining Lily with her nail polish and jewelry, staring down a giant slab of dead deer. "Well good, you can make yourself useful."

"Hah, I dropped the class. Switched over to making floral arrangements instead. Probably not the best decision in hindsight now."

"Well, I can teach ya. It'll be good for you to learn."

She smiled mischievously. "You're just teaching me all sorts of things these days, Dixon. I'm not entirely talentless, you know." She looked at him pointedly.

He was taken aback by her boldness. He could tell that she easily could step into the role of femme fatale. It was probably intrinsic to her survival in this world.

Her suggestive smile faded away to one of playfulness. "I'm serious! I mean, we aren't all built for this world. We're not all Dixons. Don't look at me like that. I can totally picture it. Your everyday life. You traipsing through the woods with your bow, shootin' down squirrels, rescuing damsels in distress. You're in your element!"

She had meant it in good humor but a part of what she said really got to Dixon. When he thought about his life before, he didn't find himself particularly missing it. Working construction and mechanics, getting drunk with the same people at the same dives. Screwing the same easy women and being gone by breakfast. Aside from his worries about Merle and the constant threat of death, he had to admit to himself that he almost preferred life now.

And then there was her.

Their conversation was interrupted by the familiar sound of a walker. Dragging its feet towards them a few yards away. Daryl's bow was drawn at a second's notice.

"Wait! I want to get it. Let me put my practice to use." Lily was chewing her bottom lip and looking up at him eagerly.

In a weird way, he didn't want for her to kill the walker. It was his job. He enjoyed being the one to protect her. It gave him a sense of purpose and fulfillment that he previously didn't know that he was lacking.

"We're too close to camp now. The sound of a gunshot might draw more out."

"Then I'll use your bow. It can't be that different."

He felt like telling her that she couldn't be more wrong about that. But the walker was still far enough away and with only one, the threat was small enough. So he lowered his bow and handed it over.

She involuntarily groaned under the weight of it. "Wow. You make this look a lot lighter than it actually is. I don't know if I can even lift it to my shoulders."

"Here, lemme help you." Again, he stood behind her and wrapped his arms flush against hers. He lifted the bow with ease to rest against her shoulder. They were stood so close together that his lips brushed the tip of her ear.

He spoke so low into it that it was almost a growl. "Steady now. We're just gonna line up the aim. Remember, you want to use your left eye." He felt her body shiver distinctively at his warm breath in her ear. She maintained her focus on the shot though. "Good girl, now release the bolt."

She unwillingly gasped at the impact of the bolt leaving the crossbow. The reverb shook her body more than the pistol had. But sure enough, the bolt entered the walker's skull and it collapsed to the ground. Not as clean a shot as Daryl would have achieved on his own, but it did the job.

They stood there for several seconds. Lily's chest rising and falling heavily. Daryl's arms still around her. He could feel her figure trembling ever so slightly. He realized she was crying softly.

All of her confidence and bravado had melted away to reveal the emotional toll that the last few days had taken on her. "I'm sorry." Her lips quivered. "It's just been a really hard few weeks."

He gently released her from his arms. He took the bow from her shaking hands and slung it across his back where it belonged. Then surprising himself even, he wrapped his arms around her properly. Holding her firmly against his solid chest. One arm snaked around her slim waist while the other rested across her shoulders, his hand stroking her soft hair. "It's okay. Go ahead and let it out."

She seemed to relax in his arms. Her breathing resumed as a gentle swell. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get all girly and freak out. I'm really not that sad about the walker being dead."

"I didn't think you were. Are you just scared?"

"Everyone's gone. And I can't stop thinking about my nephew Kyle. If he's even alive, he's still with _them._ I don't think they'd hurt him, he's only a child. But he should be with family. He should be with me. If I was stronger, if I was braver, if I'd stayed…"

"No." Daryl cut her off sternly. "You couldn't stay there. They would have used you up and then killed you when they couldn't use you anymore. Leaving them like you did, no food or weapons – that was the bravest thing you could do." He rested his chin on the top of her head. "You aren't alone anymore. You have us. You have me. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

She seemed to accept his words as truth. Taking a deep breath she pulled away from his chest gently. The vulnerability and emotion were swimming in her eyes as she looked up at him. "You're a good man Daryl Dixon."

It was all of the encouragement that he needed. He removed his arms from her waist. Took her delicate face in his rough hands and bent to kiss her. Her lips were full and soft. He heard a slight whimper in the back of her throat. The sound ignited something inside of him. He pressed his tongue insistently against her closed lips, hoping to deepen the kiss. He felt her body stiffen slightly.

Pulling away, her expression was dazed. Her eyes were glassy and at least a good shade darker. He could feel his face go hot, his own expression slackjawed. He wanted more of her. He wrapped his arm around her and tilted her chin to his.

She stopped him. "Daryl, wait." Her voice was small yet firm. "This past week, I don't know what I would have done without you. I really like you and I'm really glad that you're my friend. But I just…I can't right now."

He could feel defensive synapses firing off in his brain. He pulled away roughly. "I get it." He stormed over to the walker to retrieve his bolt.

"Daryl, would you listen?"

"No, I get it. I'm just a fucking redneck right. It's fine for you to flirt with me and lead me on. I bet all you city girls are just little fuck teases right? But to actually be with me would be beneath you, huh?"

He pulled the bolt from the walker's skull aggressively and took off in the direction of Hershel's farm. At this point, the sun was quickly setting.

"Would you hold up for one second?!" Lily had to jog to catch up to his stride. "Look, you're being a huge dick right now."

"_I'm being a dick?_ You get me to kiss you just so you can tell me that you don't want me to!"

"You asshole, I want you to kiss me more than anything!" He stopped short and looked at her bemused.

"Can't you put yourself in my position for one second? I just want things here to be different. They have to be different." Tears were quickly welling up in her eyes again.

Daryl's brows furrowed. Here she had rejected him and now she was the one upset about it.

"I really, really like you Daryl. But I just can't give myself to you in that way yet. Where I was before this, my sexuality was the only part of me that mattered to them. It was the only tool that I had to survive with. I want things to be different here. Different with you."

He felt his heart breaking. Not from rejection, but breaking _for_ her. All of his insecurities and here she was the one afraid that she'd just be a lay to him. He suddenly felt sheepish, shameful even. The wounds from her previous abuse were still so fresh. And he was jumping at the first chance to pounce on her. The first chance to shove his tongue down her throat.

Almost without thinking, he reached for her hand. He brushed his thumb across her small knuckles. The move was as tender as it was innocent. "You don't have to worry about any of that. I really like ya too. I'll be here whenever you're ready."

She swallowed hard and built up all of her courage to look him in the eye again, "I don't know what it is about you. But I like being around you. I want to stay around you." She continued shyly, "And I do want to kiss you. I want to more than kiss you… Ugh, I don't even know what I'm doing. I can't believe we're talking about this. It's like the apocalypse and I feel like I'm creating romantic drama where you probably don't' even want it..I"

He cut her off with the softest of kisses before speaking sternly. "Stop it. You really do talk too damn much. That's all just details. I want you with me. We can go as slow as you need to."

She let out a deep breath. She seemed at a loss for words but at least content. Timidly she took his hand in hers and they walked back to the camp. Daryl was a bit wary of what the group would say, the two of them returning hand in hand after having disappeared for half the night.

_To hell with them._ He was holding hands with the most beautiful girl he'd seen. She had reached for his hand. She had pressed her chest to his and kissed him. Even more importantly, she didn't want him to see her as just a screw. She wanted to be more than that. He felt his heart soar in a way it never had. He squeezed her hand, almost as if to remind himself that it was in fact solid and there.

Any concerns he had about the opinions of the group were unnecessary. Chaos seemed to be reigning supreme over Hershel's farm. Shouts were easily audible from a distance away. Daryl dropped Lily's hand and they rushed over.

The first person they ran into was Glenn. He seemed stricken; his eyes wide yet weary at the same time.

"Walkers. Hershel has been keeping walkers in the barn."


	7. Chapter 7

**_And I do not know my own way to the sea__  
__but the saltiest sea knows its own way to me;_**

If Daryl had thought that the group was broken before; now it was completely shattered. Before even confronting Hershel, it was clear that a strong divide had formed amongst the survivors.

They sat around the campfire discussing the situation in hushed tones. Shane was even jumpier than usual, his muscles twitching as though aching to go take care of the problem. Dale was at the opposite of the spectrum. Good old Dale, rather act on principle than survival. Daryl wasn't sure if he respected the man or if he thought he was an idiot. Probably a little bit of both.

As usual, Rick was in the middle of the two. Naturally, he had ordained that he would be the one to talk to Hershel about the walkers but apparently little good had come of it. He looked more deeply troubled than ever.

Lily was over at the old picnic table with Glenn. They seemed to be deep into discussion over something. A possessive fire had ignited in the pit of Daryl's stomach when he first saw them. But he remembered that to the rest of the group, he had no reason to be possessive. Deep down, he still wasn't even sure if he really did have a right.

He had tried to find a casual way to walk over and see what they were talking about. He thought Glenn was a decent man but it would certainly be out of character for him to approach as though they were old drinkin' buddies. Pretending to have a question about the schedule for watch, Daryl strode over quietly with his ears pricked up for any trace of their conversation.

"You just have to give her time. You did what you had to do. Once everything sinks in, she's going to understand that."

_Sounds like some prissy girl talk._

"It's just, I've never felt about anyone the way that I feel about Maggie. But I don't know if it's love? Is it just because we're here? Because of everything?"

"Glenn, even if it is – it doesn't matter. This is our reality now. If Maggie and you are able to find a bit of happiness together, don't question it. The way things were before today is irrelevant."

Glenn's face broke out into a sheepish grin. "Is that why you're finding a bit of happiness with the redneck now?" Glenn made the joke in good humor but the putdown still made Daryl's blood boil. He was about to raise his voice (and perhaps a fist) when he was interrupted by Lily's light laughter.

"I guess I should have expected that nothing gets past you. I really don't know about Daryl. Sometimes I think he despises me and other times I feel like if I asked him for a kidney, he'd give it to me….or at least cut one out of somebody else."

"But does he make you happy?"

Lily paused for a moment, "I mean, I've only known him a few days. I know what you mean though about Maggie. I feel like we're always so on edge that an hour feels like weeks. I feel like I've been with you all for months at this point." The smallest of smiles, "But yes, I think he makes me happy."

"Well that can only be good for all of us. Maybe he'll stop being so mean if he's happy. You should have seen him when Merle was here. He was a nightmare."

A rush of anger and panic overtook Daryl. As though hearing about his life with Merle would cause Lily to change her mind about him. _And who does Glenn think he is to talk about my life anyways._ Daryl gruffly cleared his throat, making his presence known.

Lily jumped. Glenn looked a satisfying mixture of embarrassed and fear.

"Oh my god. We get it Dixon, you're good at hunting. It doesn't give you the right to sneak up on your friends." She was scowling at him but her eyes still hid a trace of a smile.

"It's not safe out here at night. Not with Hershel keeping those damn walkers in the barn. Chinaman, can't you talk your girlfriend into letting us put them down?"

Glenn looked down exasperated, "Oh, believe me. I've been trying. They won't hear any of it though. They just don't get it."

"Well I'd rather have twelve walkers locked up in the barn than have those twelve walkers scattered in the woods."

"Yeah girly, well I'd rather have twelve walkers dead."

Lily continued, "Well I just don't really see what the big deal is. I mean, isn't danger lurking around every corner? What difference is one more threat out of hundreds?"

"Do you always have to be so damn casual about all of this? This isn't some little game. This is survival. Oh wait, I forgot. You can afford to be casual about it because you always have men protecting you." Daryl knew that he was crossing a line again. _My fucking temper is going to wreck everything._ There was just something about thinking about Lily in danger that sent his mind into a rage. And the fact that she didn't seem to take her safety as seriously made it even worse.

Her hopeful smile had instantly vanished. His words had clearly cut deeply. "Oh yes Dixon. What would I ever do without all of the wonderful and protective _men _that I've come across?" Turning to Glenn with a reassuring smile, "I'm going to go help Carol put the dinner things away. If you need to talk later just come find me. If I see Maggie I'll be sure to tell her how beat up you are about it. She'll come around."

She passed Daryl without even looking at him.

"I can see what Lily means."

He shot Glenn a look, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"She can't tell if you love her or hate her. Man, we're all striking out tonight."

Daryl didn't speak to Lily for the rest of the night. Or rather, she wouldn't speak to him. After helping the women clean up, she retired to Andrea's tent without saying goodnight to him.

As he sat up during his watch, he found that he kept stealing glances in the direction of her tent. He had hoped that she would creep out and sit with him again. Not only that, with the walkers so close in the barn, he felt his need to protect heightened. _If any of those bastards got out, they wouldn't make it to her sleeping form._

A few hours later, Shane came out to take over the watch. His eyes were bloodshot, his body tense. "You sleep at all Shane? You look like shit."

"How anybody can fucking sleep with those things locked up over there is a mystery to me. Fucking Hershel and Dale. Fucking Rick. Nobody has the balls to do what has to be done. Just you and me."

Hearing Shane group him in with himself made Daryl's skin crawl. Shane was becoming more and more unhinged as the days progressed. Yeah, Daryl knew he could do the tough jobs. The bloody jobs. But he wasn't dangerous. He wasn't heartless.

He nodded silently and left Shane to his watch.

The next day began uneventfully. Daryl slept in a bit later than usual. As if trying to put off the tensions of the group for as long as he possibly could. Andrea was putting away the remnants of breakfast by the time he got to the rest of the camp. She nodded a functional 'good morning.' "Lily left you a bit of oatmeal and coffee on the table over there. It might be a bit cold by now."

His stomach did a little flip. So she might hate him at the moment but at least she didn't want him to starve. Andrea looked at him through lidded eyes. "She's off with Maggie and Beth right now if you were wondering. Just watch, Hershel is gonna kick us all out and just keep her and Glenn on."

"Heh, wouldn't surprise me." He grabbed his bow and was making his way for a quick hunt when suddenly the farm was overtaken with commotion.

Hershel and Rick. And walkers…on leashes. _Aw hell no. _For a second Shane's words from the night before flashed through Daryl's mind. Had Rick really lost it? What was he doing playing into Hershel's delusions?

As though reading his mind- Shane stormed out from the RV followed by a very distraught Dale. The shouts, gunfire, and death groans of the walkers had quickly drawn out the entire group. Lily, Beth, and Maggie sprinted over from the porch where they had been matching socks.

Shane continued his tirade about survival and what a waste the search for Sophia turned out to be. About all of the needless risks that they'd taken. About how they needed to start thinking seriously about survival. He grabbed the bag of guns that Dale had tried to keep hidden. And everyone watched in horror as he marched over to the barn.

The next several minutes were just a haze in Daryl's mind. He knows that Shane opened the door. That Shane released all of the walkers. He remembers the horrified cries from Hershel and his girls. But above all, he remembers Lily's presence. Which is why he acted so quickly in putting those walker's down in a frenzy.

And then Sophia.

Holding an anguished Carol, Daryl felt as though his heart had been ripped from his chest. _This is what you get for trying to help. For trying to care. You couldn't do that right and now look at this all. _

He looked over at Lily, standing with Lori – them both helplessly trying to console Carl. For the first time since the night, before she met Daryl's gaze. Her eyes were so deep with concern that he knew he had to look away. _Same damn thing is going to end up happening to her as Sophia. You can try to keep her safe but don't get attached. _

_You can never get attached._

The discovery of Sophia marked a change in Daryl. He helped Hershel's family bury the walkers. He even stuck around for Sophia's makeshift funeral. But something inside of him had hardened. In a matter of hours, a tangible distance had seemed to grow between him and the group. Even when Carol reached out to him, he rebuffed her concern.

Lily hadn't tried to talk to him. He was glad.

He gathered his belongings, dismantled his tent and dragged it to the far corner of the farm, even more isolated that his previous spot had been. Thoughts of going off on his own kept flashing through his mind. He could just get on Merle's bike and get away from all of this mess. He could be gone by morning.

He assembled his tent, wrestling with himself inside. It was then that he realized how exhausted he was. The strain of the day had really taken its toll on him. He unrolled his sleeping bag and was shocked by how quickly sleep was claiming him, even after everything that had happened that day.

A sliver of light appeared at the entrance to his tent. _Damn it. _He had been so tired that he didn't even hear footsteps approaching. Instinctively, he reached for his bow. It was never far from his body when he slept.

"Whoa, easy fella. It's just me." Lily's voice was soft and gentle. As his eyes adjusted he could make out her figure in the darkness. She was in the same long sleeved flannel from the other night. Her hair was loose down her back.

"What do you want?" He kept his tone cold but he had to admit that he was intrigued.

She ignored his frigidity. "I was worried about you. I know today was really hard for you."

"A lot harder for Carol."

"I know, I can't imagine what she must be going through – losing a child. She's with Andrea and Lori, they're taking good care of her. I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"I'm fine."

"Dixon, you would say you were fine if your own hair was on fire."

Daryl watched as she, hunched over, crossed the tiny expanse of his tent. She gently lowered herself down on the pile of quilts beside him.

"What are you doing?" Daryl could feel his heart in his throat, warmth rushing through his body.

"I want to stay with you. You shouldn't have to be alone after tonight. If you want me to go, I will. But just think of how much you'll hate me walking all the way back in the dark." Even in the dark, he could make out the soft, playful smile on her lips.

"No. Stay." He had meant to sound nonchalant about it but between his desire for her and his excitement at her being here, the command came out as a mixture between a choke and a growl.

She wriggled her body closer to his on the sleeping bag, until she was cozied up, her skin flush against his. "Look Daryl, I meant what I said the other night.."

He cut her off, "Don't worry." He was at a loss for words feeling her next to him. It would be almost criminal for him to expect anything more. Her head found his chest and she absentmindedly ran her hand along his torso with more tenderness than he would have guessed from her.

She hummed contentedly and was soon falling asleep. Now, Daryl was wide-awake. As she dozed, he took the liberty of examining the figure in his arms. He was able to brush his hand over her bare thigh, feel the soft curve of her hip. Her breasts were pressed against the side of his torso and the sensation alone was making him hard. He only hoped that it wouldn't be obvious enough to her.

Now, he definitely couldn't sleep.

He tried to take his mind off of her body. He didn't know what it was about this one. Thinking back to her conversation with Glenn: how could she possibly think that he hated her? It seemed that since she arrived, everything he did was done with the thought of her wellbeing in mind. _Here she is though. You must be doing something right._

She had the sweetest expression as she slept. Even with everything going on, she still managed to sleep soundly with him. Despite their limited time together, she still placed her absolute trust in him. Realizing this, Daryl reached his free arm to make sure his bow was a moment's notice away. The thought of needing to be alert to protect her made the promise of sleep dull in comparison. Besides, sleep would mean becoming unconscious to the soft form beside him.

_So much for not getting attached._


	8. Chapter 8

_**You ranged real hot and real cold but I'm sold; I am home on that range**_

Lily was gone when Daryl awoke. For a few brief moments he thought that perhaps her presence in the night had been a dream. A defense mechanism of his own mind. Anything to try and quell the strain from the horrors that they had all endured the previous day. The tragic discovery of Sophia.

Then he noticed the slight imprint left on the quilt beside him where Lily's sleeping body had lay. He suddenly found himself thinking of how she talked of her previous job as a nanny. How often had she spent the night curled up in the room of one of the small children she cared for, desperate to comfort and shield them from the monsters in their closets? Where his instinct was to hunt and to protect, hers was to nurture. The thought brought on a strange swell in his chest.

He dressed quickly, and not for the first time realized how grateful he was for the women of the camp doing the washing. The situation was dire enough without having to worry about wearing clothing that reeked. Grabbing his bow and taking a quick inventory of the tent, he headed off to the camp.

His appearance at the campfire was greeted with a mixed response. Dale and Lori eyed him warily, concern obvious in their eyes. Shane looked on at him indifferently. There was no sign of Carol. Daryl assumed she was inside Hershel's trying to process the events of the day before. He made a mental note to check in on her. Andrea and Glenn nodded at him solemnly, but with the smallest hint of mischief. Clearly, Lily's sleeping arrangement had not been a very well kept secret. She was the only one that he didn't see around breakfast.

The question, to ask of her whereabouts, was right at the edge of his lips when he suddenly felt rather self-conscious. A new development for Dixon. In the past, his romantic or sexual escapades were never anything that he was shy about. If anything, he always felt the need to almost boast of them. Anything to get Merle off of his back about 'being a pussy.'

But this time around, it felt very different. Besides the fact that they had only ever kissed, he felt like what he and Lily had was something wholly separate from this group. The group was filled with mistrust, tension, and lies. What he shared with Lily was the opposite if anything. They could form their own interpretations, on the two of them, their own judgment. None of that mattered.

"Where is Lily?"

The day passed rather uneventfully, at least compared to that of the day before. Daryl had discovered Lily, sat beneath a tree with Carl. Carl was holding his pistol up, safety on, and offering Lily tips on how to better use her newfound shooting lessons. She was smiling easily and letting him go on.

"See Lily, what you have to do is really visualize hitting the target. Shane was telling me about this one time where he had to shoot a robber down in the dark. But he just pictured hitting the guy and it happened!" Carl was still rather misguidedly enamored by his father's former partner.

"Did he now?" She reached down and picked up a small rock, "So I close my eyes and just imagine the rock hitting that tree, you're saying it will?"

"No Lily. We're talking about shooting walkers. You hafta be serious about it." The young boy's eyes went dark. He was clearly still very shaken up over the death of Sophia.

Daryl couldn't help but smirk as he approached them. Carl was only nine and even he was frustrated with Lily's cavalier attitude. "Ya know, the kid is right. You probably could learn a few things from him."

Carl's smile returned proudly. He quickly hid his pistol as he saw Lori approaching. He hurried after judging the look on her face. She seemed even moreso protective of her only son now. Lily looked up at Daryl and offered him a small warm smile. "How are you feeling today?"

"Eh. Have you seen Carol? How is she?"

"She's doing as well as can be expected. Hershel gave her something to sleep last night. She's just been taking it easy inside the house. She seems much stronger than everyone gives her credit for though."

Daryl nodded. He knew too many women like Carol. Women who lived quiet little lives with the husbands who mistreated them. They were always stronger than even they themselves knew.

The two of them fell into an easy silence. Daryl was surprised by how comfortable things felt between them. There was no air of regret or unease about their previous simple night together. They sat quietly with their own thoughts, lingering in the warm sun and the apparent calm after the storm.

Of course that calm couldn't sustain itself.

A few hours later Maggie and Beth were in hysterics about Hershel missing. After quickly deducing that he must be at one of his favorite old haunts, Glenn and Rick took off after him. This led to a domino effect of a chaotic night that seemed all too common at the seemingly peaceful and serene farm.

Rick and Glenn had been in town too long for everyone's liking. As the group gathered morosely around the campfire, Andrea and Dale tried to comfort a fearful Lori and Carl. Lily went up to Hershel's house to look after Maggie and Beth. Maggie was terrified on two counts: her father and her love.

When Lori asked Daryl to go off and look for Rick he wasn't sure what to do with himself. He was faced with so many conflicting emotions. Firstly, an ingrained desire to protect. Loyalty to Rick, to Glenn. Another opportunity to prove himself to the group, establish himself. But the pain of Sophia was still too fresh in his mind. He had poured all of himself into the search for her and it had all been in vain. He didn't think that he could handle another failure like that, as any mission in these times was surely to be a failure. He couldn't handle facing the same look in Lori's eyes that he saw in Carol's each time he saw her now. He couldn't risk leaving Lily alone in this. He had to say no.

If he had known Lori was going to go off on her though…

Later when it was revealed that she was missing, Daryl knew that was where she had to be. Off looking for her husband. He instantly felt shame creep up his spine. Another tragedy was going to be on his hands. He wasn't sure if the looks of distain he was being given by the others were real or the product of his own guilty subconscious. It didn't take long for Shane to rush out and look for her.

Their return was an obvious relief but the prolonged disappearance of Rick, Glenn, and Hershel was taking a serious toll. Lori was beside herself over fear for her husband and rage at Shane for lying to her about his safe return. Maggie couldn't sit still, fidgeting at the window hoping for any sign of the missing men. Beth remained in a state of shock, unable to pull herself out of it. Lily and Carol sat quietly on the sofa, hands entwined.

It was a very long night.

At morning's light, in an attempt to atone for not looking for Rick, Glenn, and Hershel the night before - Daryl wasted no time in forming a party to search for them. There seemed to be an even greater divide amongst the group. Shane and Andrea had formed a bit of a clear alliance against Dale and Lori.

Daryl found a quiet moment alone with Lily and questioned her about the tension. "Dale seems to think that Shane doesn't even want Rick to come back. With him gone, Shane could take full control." There was a total lack of surprise or shock in her voice. In the limited time that she had known Shane, Lily had easily decided that he seemed a little unhinged.

Daryl looked over at the dark haired man. More than ever, he seemed ragged and slightly madeyed. He didn't think that anyone would feel completely comfortable being alone with him. He started to rethink the members of the search party when the appearance of a car down the dirt road saved him the trouble.

Rick and Glenn had left as two men and came back as four. Hershel and a stranger graced the backseat. Everyone rushed over to the car. Lori and Carl ran to Rick. Maggie and Glenn partook in a long embrace. Hershel stood with a kind of sheepish dignity. Daryl guessed that he wouldn't be taking any trips to the bar anytime soon. The fourth man remained in the back of the car.

At this point it was obvious that he was tied up, and blindfolded. Daryl could feel unease developing in the pit of his stomach. Bringing Lily to camp was one thing. She had been defenseless. She was obviously no threat. But if they felt the need to blindfold and bind this man, who was he? What was he capable of?

He wasn't the only one feeling unease at the appearance of this new visitor. It didn't take long for Shane's temper to explode. And this time, Daryl felt a part of him agreeing with him. Did this make him a hypocrite? Frankly, he didn't give a damn. He had more important things to care about at this point than saving any outsiders. He had to keep this group safe. He had to stop what happened to Sophia from happening to anyone else. From happening to Lily.

Lily stepped out from behind him and for the first time got a good look at the prisoner. She didn't say anything. However, the change in her body language, in her demeanor was palatable. Standing so close to her, Daryl could almost feel a shift in the air at her visceral reaction to the man. He couldn't understand how the rest of the group could have not noticed. But they continued their shouting match over the prisoner.

Her hands shaking, Lily turned on a start and headed back towards Hershel's house.

She didn't stop walking until she was inside, the door shut firmly behind her. In an instant, Daryl was behind her and reaching for her. She shrugged off her arm and instead frantically began to pace the room. He didn't even have to ask.

"That man. He.. Randall."

What a part of him had known and feared since the second he saw her reaction to the man dawned on Daryl fully. "He's from your old group." A statement, not a question.

The frenzied fear in her eyes sufficed as the only answer he needed.

Daryl felt rage building up inside his chest. The between Rick, Shane, and Dale was going to be resolved very easily when he stepped outside and beat this Randall to death. "Did he touch you?"

She shook her head quickly. "No. Not out of any goodness of his own heart though. He was a lackey to them, a nobody. Not exactly somebody I'd personally invite over for dinner though."

"I'm going out there. We can take care of this easily enough." With clenched fists, Daryl made his way for the door.

"No! You can't. Please, don't because of me. Wait and see what they decide to do. I don't want any more violence today."

Gently, Daryl reached for again. This time she gave him her hand. "We have to tell them though. They have to know. This is going to change things."

She held his gaze and nodded. Gruffly, he continued. "Though I can't promise you that I won't knock his teeth out before they decide what happens to him."

"Neither can I." Her voice was stronger than perhaps even she had expected it to be.


End file.
